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BME5

Boatswain's Mate

E-5 (Sergeant) · Navy

E1–E3E-4E-5E-6E-7E8–E9
HEADS UP

BM2 (E-5) is the working section lead — the rank the BM1 trusts to run the UNREP station while she is at the chief's mess call. JOOD-Underway qualification and a pinned SWS device are the baseline expectation, not stretch goals. The NWAE for BM1 is the next gate; the BM2 who does not start the bibliography on pin-on day is already behind the peer group at the first eEVAL ranking board.

The Honest MOS Read
Boatswain's Mate Second Class (BM2, E-5) is the working section lead of the deck division — the petty officer the BM1 trusts to run the UNREP station, lead the mooring detail, manage the section's PMS schedule, and produce eEVAL input for BM3s and BMSNs that the chief can defend at the wardroom ranking board. The BM2 runs things. Not as a supervisor standing at a distance, but as the senior deckhand whose hands are on the same line as the BM3s under him and whose standard is the bar the whole section reads off. The JOOD-Underway watch at BM2 is not a qualification in progress — it is a qualification you stand regularly on the ship's watch rotation. On a surface combatant, the BM2 JOOD is the OOD's right hand during routine underway maneuvering: conn the ship in normal sea conditions, manage the helm and lee helm watch section, keep the deck log current, and call the OOD's attention to any developing situation before it becomes a problem. The JOOD who alerts the OOD to a contact developing on the starboard bow at 14 nautical miles is the JOOD the OOD trusts for the whole transit. The JOOD who calls it at 4 nautical miles because he was not scanning is the JOOD the OOD relieves of the watch. The UNREP evolution at BM2 is the core of the rating's identity at this rank. When the ship closes to UNREP position alongside a fleet replenishment ship, the deck crew is the BM2's section — he briefs them, assigns them, enforces the safety zone, manages the phone net, controls the rig tension during transfer, and writes the debrief. On a DDG, the BM2 leading the forward UNREP station through a standard fuel-and-stores connected period with no line handling errors, no safety violations, and a clean post-evolution log entry is the BM2 the department head mentions to the XO. On an LHD with six rigs running simultaneously, the BM2 who knows his rig's status and the adjacent rig's status without being asked is the BM2 the BM1 promotes to after-hours planning meetings. The section training plan is the BM2's management deliverable. Every quarter the BM2 is expected to produce a training plan for his section that covers PQS milestones, SWS device pipeline timelines, NWAE study milestones, PMS completion rates, and warfare-device progress — framed in specific dates and names. The BM1 briefs this to the department head at the quarterly division readiness review. The BM2 whose section plan is 'on track' without specifics is the BM2 whose plan the BM1 rewrites before the brief. The BM2 whose plan has names, dates, and milestone status by name is the BM2 whose section the department head trusts to execute without close supervision. The eEVAL writing responsibility at BM2 is the skill that compounds most directly into the advancement package for the BM3s under him. Action-result-impact with measurable outcomes: 'Led 18 UNREP evolution station briefs in 7-month deployment period, zero line handling casualties, zero safety violations — section named in DESRON CO's final deployment SITREP.' That is a countable bullet. 'Demonstrated superb seamanship and professional excellence' is a phrase the chief kills at the first ranking board review. The BM2 who writes good eEVAL input for his BM3s is the BM2 whose BM3s advance on pace and whose own eEVAL the BM1 writes in the same standard. The NWAE for BM1 runs on the same bibliography discipline as every previous NWAE — but the exam is harder because the BM1 knowledge base is broader: navigation, damage control, cargo handling, towing, heavy-lift operations, deck systems maintenance, and the full leadership and administration portion that reflects the LPO responsibility profile. Pull the current BM bibliography from MyNavyHR or NETC on the day BM2 pins and start working it with a twelve-month plan. The BM2 who does not sit for the BM1 exam at first eligible cycle is the BM2 the LCPO is counseling about peer-group standing at year three.
Career Arc
  • 01BM2 pin-on via NWAE; first section leader counseling with the BM1 — section PMS, training plan, eEVAL responsibility framework.
  • 02JOOD-Underway qualification on current ship class before midpoint of sea tour; UNREP station leader responsibility assumed on day one.
  • 03Section training plan produced quarterly and defended to BM1 at division readiness review — PQS completions by name, SWS device pipeline, NWAE study milestones.
  • 04SWS device pinned — the BM2 without it at the eEVAL ranking board is visibly behind the peer group.
  • 05NWAE for BM1 study plan on documented timeline from pin-on day; first exam at first eligible cycle.
  • 06Chief board package conversation with the BM1 at BM2 mid-tour — the package is built now, not the month before submission.
Common Screwups
  • ×Running the UNREP station without a signed pre-rig brief and a walked safety zone — when a rig fails and the NAVSEA investigation team shows up, the station leader's name is on the brief and the investigation reads the brief against the NWP 4-01.4 standard.
  • ×Letting BM3s sign off PQS for each other and rubber-stamping the section — one fraudulent qual exposed by the LCPO at a random audit comes back on the BM2 who supervised it and the eEVAL profile reflects it.
  • ×Skipping the JOOD-Underway qualification development because deck work fills the day — the warfare pin and the JOOD qual are how BM2s separate at the eEVAL ranking board and deck work alone does not carry the advancement package.
  • ×Failing to brief the OOD on a deck near-miss or equipment casualty because the BM2 handled it — the SORN requires it, the OOD needs to know, and the omission looks worse in the investigation than the incident would have.
  • ×Financial mismanagement or a first NJP at BM2 — the Chief board package is built across the BM2 tour and a disciplinary mark at this rank is a visible entry in the service record the Senior Chief slate reads.

A Day in the Life

  • 0500Wake up. Check overnight watchbill changes, section assignments, and any equipment casualties flagged by the duty section. If there is an UNREP approach today, confirm the approach time and who is on each station before PT.
  • 0545-0700Division PT. At BM2 section lead you set the pace for your section — you are in the front rank, not in the middle. PT performance is read by the BM1 as a proxy for section standard. The BM2 who falls out of the morning run or dogs the circuit is the BM2 whose section eventually mirrors the standard.
  • 0700-0730Hygiene, coveralls, section pre-quarters check. Walk your section's berthing area briefly — gear stowed, spaces clean, your BM3s and BMSNs in the correct uniform. The section lead who shows up to quarters having already walked the berthing space has information the BM2 who walks in cold does not.
  • 0730-0800Quarters. Division officer and BM1 put out the plan. At BM2 section lead you absorb the day's plan and you put it out to your section — you do not wait for the BM1 to individually direct each of your sailors. After quarters breaks, your section has assignments before they ask.
  • 0800-1130Section lead execution — UNREP rig pre-rig and brief if underway, mooring detail prep if in port, PMS completion with BM3 quality check, section training evolution (qual test, JOOD review session, SWS PQS section). You are working the task and supervising the section simultaneously.
  • 1130-1230Chow. Check the section's afternoon watchbill — JOOD watch starting at 1300, section PMS deadlines, boat operations if assigned.
  • 1230-1500JOOD-Underway watch block or afternoon section evolution. On JOOD watch: full bridge watch, deck log maintenance, contact management, routine maneuvering under OOD supervision. On section evolution: stores load, UNREP break-away follow-up, boat operations, training.
  • 1500-1600PMS closeout with BM3 quality review. Discrepancy chits submitted. NWAE study — this hour is non-negotiable at BM2. The BM2 who opens the BM1 BIB consistently in this window advances at first eligible cycle; the BM2 who cedes it to administrative catch-up stalls.
  • 1600-1630End-of-day section check. Gear stowed, spaces squared, next morning's watchbill checked, any evening evolution prepared. The section leader who walks the deck before release is the section leader whose section does not have a liberty incident because she left before confirming everyone was squared away.
  • 1630-1800Secured — in port liberty or underway transition to evening watch. If standing 1800-2200 JOOD watch, transition to bridge at 1745 with a full pre-watch brief from the off-going JOOD.
  • 1800-2200JOOD watch or off-duty. JOOD watch: four-hour bridge watch, contact management, deck log, maneuvering under OOD authority. Off-duty: NWAE study, eEVAL draft work, section training plan update, personal time.
  • 2200Watch relief or rack. Clean handover to the on-coming JOOD section; brief the status of all contacts, deck conditions, and any pending OOD-directed actions.

Weekly Cadence

Monday is framing day. The BM1 published the plan-of-the-week on Friday; the BM2 section lead spent the weekend knowing what the week's section work will look like — UNREP approach days, in-port mooring evolutions, scheduled PMS deadlines, PQS testing sessions, and NWAE study milestones. Monday morning quarters puts the plan out; the BM2 who walks out of quarters with section assignments already mentally allocated is the BM2 who executes the week without asking the BM1 for direction. Monday afternoon is the section sync — the BM2 reviews the training tracker with the BM3s, confirms PMS status, and identifies any milestone at risk before it becomes a lapsed deadline. Tuesday through Thursday are the execution core. On UNREP days the section is on station from pre-rig brief through break-away cleanup; the BM2 is running the station. On in-port days the working parties, mooring detail, and maintenance cycle fill the operational window. The JOOD watch block falls wherever the watch rotation places it — at BM2 you stand it regardless of how heavy the rest of the day was. The NWAE study window is 1500-1600, protected. Friday is plan-of-the-week output to the BM1 — section training plan update, PMS forecast for next week, upcoming evolution briefings, any section personnel issues that should not wait the weekend. The BM1 who receives a clean Friday brief from the BM2 section lead is the BM1 who gives that section more latitude on execution the following week.

Key Skills — How to Drill Each

  1. 01
    Run a mooring or UNREP station as the senior petty officer — brief the team by name, assign stations, enforce the safety zone, control the evolution, post-evolution debrief.
    The brief is not improvised at the rig. Write it the night before: crew by name and station, phone net assignments, safety zone boundaries, emergency procedures, a specific mention of who is the phone talker and who is the safety observer. Walk the rig before the approach. Remove anyone inside the safety zone and do not allow them back in during the evolution without a specific task assignment. After the evolution, run a 10-minute debrief with the crew — what went exactly right, what nearly went wrong, one thing you will fix. The BM1 who hears the debrief ran reads the section lead as professional; the BM1 who hears it did not run draws her own conclusions.
  2. 02
    Operate as JOOD-Underway on your ship class — conn the ship for routine maneuvering, manage helm and lookout watch section, maintain deck log in real time.
    The JOOD who lets the deck log lag behind actual events is the JOOD whose log does not hold up when the CO asks about the 1423 contact report. Log continuously, not at the end of the watch. Contact reports go in by bearing and time on first call; course changes go in by ordered course and actual course achieved; engineering events go in by time and description. The OOD reads the JOOD's log quality as a direct proxy for the BM2's readiness for the next level. A JOOD watch that runs without the OOD having to correct anything is the watch that produces an eEVAL bullet.
  3. 03
    Build a section training plan with quarterly milestones — PQS completions, SWS device timelines, NWAE study milestones, PMS rates — that the BM1 can brief the department head without rewriting.
    The training plan format the BM1 expects has names, dates, and current status for every milestone. 'SN Ramirez, PQS Section 4, signed off 23 March, Section 5 target 30 April.' That is a plan. 'SN Ramirez is making good progress' is not a plan. Build the tracker in a spreadsheet or a notebook that travels with you; update it after every sign-off and every evolution; bring it to the weekly section sync with the BM1. The BM1 who can open the BM2's tracker at any point in the quarter and see the current status without asking is the BM1 who gives the section autonomy to execute.
  4. 04
    Manage PMS for your section's assigned deck gear — capstans, davits, sea painter hardware, UNREP tensioners, small boat equipment — with zero overdue work orders at monthly PMS review.
    The PMS schedule for your section's gear is your accountability, not a shared responsibility with the BM3s. Build a monthly view — what MRC cards are due when, who is the designated maintainer for each piece of equipment, what the last completion date was. When a card is completed, the BM3 writes the completion entry and you verify the quality before the BM1 sees it. When a card is not completable due to a parts shortage or equipment degradation, you submit the 2-kilo discrepancy chit the same day — not when the PMS review is tomorrow. Zero overdue safety-critical cards at the monthly PMS review is the absolute standard; explaining why something is late is always a worse conversation than the conversation you had three weeks ago about getting it fixed.
  5. 05
    Write eEVAL input bullets for BM3s and BMSNs that have measurable outcomes — PQS completions, evolutions led, qualifications earned — not generic deckhand filler.
    Every bullet needs three elements: action (what the sailor did), result (what happened because of it), and impact (why it mattered to the ship's mission). Count everything: number of UNREP evolutions, PQS sections signed, qualifications earned, specific incidents where the sailor's action prevented a problem. Draft the input at the midpoint of the evaluation period, not the week before the eEVAL is due. Share the draft with the BM1 early enough for feedback. The BM3 who advances on time because the BM2 wrote a real eEVAL is the BM3 who names the BM2 at the next senior enlisted leadership symposium.

Manuals & References — What Chapters Matter

  • NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment
    You run the station and teach the manual — at BM2 the distinction matters because you are briefing the station from the doctrine, not from personal experience. When a BM3 asks why the safety zone is placed at a specific point on the rig, the answer is NWP 4-01.4 plus the physics of snap-back distance, not 'because the BM1 said so.' The BM2 who teaches to the doctrine builds a section that can defend its procedures; the BM2 who teaches from memory builds a section that perpetuates whatever the last ship did.
  • NAVEDTRA 14343 + current BM BIB from MyNavyHR — BM1 NWAE bibliography
    The BM1 exam bibliography is longer than the BM2 bibliography and includes material on deck leadership and administration that the BM2 exam did not. Build the reading plan from the published BIB — not from what you remember from the BM2 BIB. The sections on cargo handling, heavy-lift operations, towing, and anchoring are tested directly. Own the material; do not summarize it.
  • OPNAVINST 3120.32 — Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORN)
    Section leader authority and responsibility are defined in the SORN. When the XO asks why a section standard was not enforced, the answer that starts with 'per SORN section X.X, the section leader's responsibility includes...' is the answer that holds up in the department head's office. The BM2 who can quote the SORN chapter and section on watch standing responsibility owns the conversation; the BM2 who says 'I thought the BM3 was handling it' does not.
  • MILPERSMAN 1306 series — detailing and C-school pipeline
    At BM2, the detailing conversation about the next assignment is real. The MILPERSMAN 1306 series covers the detailing process, sea-shore rotation obligations, 'C' school eligibility (Assault Craft Unit qualification, riverine pipeline, Port Security Unit qualification), and the special duty assignment process. Understanding the detailing math before the assignment window opens means you can advocate for the right billet — the school you need, the command type that builds the Chief board package. The career counselor uses this document; so should you.

Standards — How to Hit Each

  • JOOD-Underway qualified on current ship class before midpoint of sea tour.
    The qualification path at BM2 follows the same structure as BM3 but is expected faster and with less hand-holding. If you transferred from a previous ship class, the qualification clock starts at the new command — notify the BM1 of your previous JOOD qual status on the first week and get the equivalency process started. The BM2 who arrives at a new command with documented JOOD-Underway quals from the previous ship and has the new ship's JOOD qual within 60 days of reporting is the BM2 the department head notices before the first UNREP.
  • Section PMS completion rate at or above department average every monthly review — zero safety-critical equipment overdue without a chit in the chain.
    Build the monthly PMS view before the first day of the month. Every card due has a name, a scheduled date, and a completion verification step. When a card is completed, verify the quality before it goes in the log. When a card is going to miss its due date, notify the BM1 and submit the discrepancy chit before the monthly review — never let the BM1 find an overdue card without warning. The section that runs at 98-100% completion rate month over month is the section the department head holds up as the standard; the section at 80% with unexplained lates is the section the XO discusses at the department head sync.
  • NWAE for BM1 documented study plan from pin-on day — exam taken at first eligible cycle.
    Pull the current BM BIB from MyNavyHR on BM2 pin-on day. Build a 12-18 month study plan. Log sessions in a notebook the BM1 can review. When the BM1 asks about your BM1 study plan at the first section sync, you should be able to show a documented plan with milestones — not describe a plan you intended to build. The BM2 who fails the BM1 exam at first eligible cycle with a documented study log has grounds for review; the BM2 without a study log who fails is the BM2 who gets counseled about academic commitment.

Technical Mistakes — Concrete Consequences

  • Running an UNREP rig without a pre-rig safety brief and a physically walked safety zone.
    When the rig fails — and over a career, rigs fail — the NAVSEA investigation team's first question is where the station leader was during the pre-rig brief and whether the safety zone was walked and cleared. A station leader's signature on the pre-rig sheet without the walk is a falsification. A station leader who was not present for the pre-rig and signed anyway is the station leader who goes to captain's mast before the investigation is a week old. The pre-rig walk takes four minutes; the JAGMAN takes six months.
  • Missing a PMS due date on safety-critical equipment without submitting a discrepancy chit.
    The equipment that misses its maintenance interval is the equipment that fails under load. The investigation asks who last signed the PMS card and what the overdue interval was. A discrepancy chit in the chain before the failure demonstrates that the system worked — the BM2 identified the problem and escalated. No chit means the problem was invisible until the casualty, which is the conversation the XO has with the section lead in the CO's cabin.
  • Skipping the JOOD-Underway study because the deck evolution schedule fills the day.
    The JOOD qual and SWS device are the visible markers the ranking board uses when BM2s are differentiated for eEVAL. The BM2 without either is behind the peer group at the first ranking board, and 'I was busy with deck work' is an explanation that does not move the BM1's pencil. The deck work is always there; the study discipline is the thing that requires a conscious allocation of time against the working day.
  • Going around the BM1 to the department head on a section discipline or equipment issue.
    The goat locker hears about it the same day. The BM1 who learns a BM2 went over her head to the department head on a section issue stops trusting the BM2 with information the BM1 would normally share — and the Chief board package starts from a lower baseline of LCPO confidence. The fix is one direct conversation with the BM1 and months of rebuilding the trust.
  • Producing eEVAL input for BM3s that is generic filler rather than counted outcomes.
    The chief kills the EP recommendation at the wardroom ranking board. The BM3 who deserved EP based on real performance misses the BM2 advancement cycle because the input that should have carried him was undefendable. The BM2 who writes generic input is the BM2 the BM1 notes at the section sync and the next eEVAL cycle reflects it.

Career Decisions at This Rank

  • Chief board package construction — start at BM2, not BM1
    The Chief Petty Officer selection board reads the full service record: NWAE history across all exam cycles, eEVAL profile and ranking across the BM2 and BM1 tours, warfare device and PQS record, duty station diversity, awards, education, and leadership accomplishment bullets. The BM2 who starts building the Chief package at BM1 mid-tour is building it too late — the NWAE history, the eEVAL ranking at BM2, and the warfare device profile are already locked by then. Talk to the BM1 at month six of the BM2 sea tour about what the Chief board package requires and what gaps exist. The BM1 who has this conversation with a BM2 has investment in the outcome.
  • LDO / CWO commissioning — BM2 to BM1 is the application window
    The Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) programs accept applications from E-5 through E-7 with the right academic, professional, and leadership profile. For BM-rated sailors, the Deck Officer LDO (1110 LDO) and Boatswain Warrant (715X CWO) pipelines are the natural tracks. The application requires a JOOD-Underway qual, SWS device, strong eEVAL profile, command endorsement, and competitive academic credentials. A BM2 with JOOD qual, SWS, strong NWAE history, and a college transcript in progress is the BM2 who is competitive at the BM1/BM2 application window. Talk to the officer selection program coordinator at NPC — the timelines are annual and the packages have specific requirements that must be started 12-18 months before the board.
  • C-school pipeline — Assault Craft Unit, Riverine, Port Security Unit, Surface Warfare Officer School enlisted track
    The MILPERSMAN 1306 series and the NPC website publish the C-school pipelines available to BM2s. Assault Craft Unit (ACU) qualification feeds the amphib community's well-deck operations. Riverine and Port Security Unit pipelines feed NECC. The Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) enlisted track is an advanced navigation and watchstanding credential. Each pipeline has a specific sea-tour length requirement and a command endorsement requirement. The BM2 who wants to differentiate the career profile should talk to a BM1 who has the C-school credential she wants — not just to the career counselor's job posting.

How the Seat Varies by Unit Type

  • DDG Arleigh Burke (deck division BMN/BM3/BM2)
    The BM2 section lead on a DDG runs a section of 4-8 sailors and is personally visible on every UNREP approach. The department head knows the BM2's name by the second underway period. JOOD watch on a destroyer is consequential — the ship is small, the maneuvering is frequent, and the OOD notices every course or speed error. The NWAE for BM1 is tracked by name in the BM1's section plan. Strong performers at BM2 on destroyers advance to BM1 faster than the peer group because the visibility is high in both directions.
  • LHD/LPD (amphibious, larger deck crew)
    On a large-deck amphibious ship the BM2 section lead may run a section of 10-15 sailors and manage a well-deck boat detachment or a davit complex. The scale of UNREP operations is larger — six-plus rigs on an LHD versus two on a DDG — but individual visibility per sailor is lower because the division is bigger. The BM2 who manages up by keeping the BM1 current on the section's status rather than waiting to be asked advances despite the visibility gap.
  • MSC (Military Sealift Command — civilian mariners)
    MSC's combat logistics force ships are crewed by civil service mariners (CIVMARs) under MSC's employment authority, not active-duty Navy enlisted. Active-duty Navy detachments on MSC ships exist for communications and security roles, not BM deck leadership billets. A BM2 assigned to an MSC ship as part of a NAVDET should clarify the role scope with the detachment officer before reporting — deck seamanship on an MSC ship is the civilian master mariner's responsibility, not the BM2's.
  • FRC/patrol craft or small boat unit
    On a Cyclone-class patrol coastal craft or an expeditionary patrol boat, the BM2 is effectively the senior deck watchstander and boat operator with more independent authority than at the same rank on a large combatant. Watch-team sizes are small and crew-served weapons qualifications (Mk 38 mod 2, M2 HB, M240B) run alongside the seamanship profile. The BM2 who wants high responsibility and a more autonomous operational profile earlier in the career should talk to the NECC community manager about PC and patrol-boat billets as a second-tour option.

What Good Looks Like at This Rank

The good BM2 is the section leader the department head names when the ship gets a new XO and someone needs to explain how the UNREP detail actually works — because this BM2 has been running it without incident for seven months and can walk the XO through the rig procedure, the phone net, the safety zone math, and the post-evolution debrief sequence from memory in four minutes flat. His section's PMS is current. His BM3s are SWS-pinned. His JOOD-Underway qual was done by month six of the tour. The BM1 pulls him into evolution planning meetings — not because it is required by the SORN, but because his feedback is accurate and he has already thought through the problem. His eEVAL input for the BM3s under him is counted and specific — evolutions led, PQS sections completed, qualifications earned, incidents where the BM3's action made a difference. The chief can defend every EP recommendation this BM2 writes because the documentation is there and the chief knows this BM2's standards. The BM1's section training tracker for this BM2's section has no red milestones; if a milestone is at risk, the BM2 has already escalated and proposed a fix. He is not waiting to be managed. The Chief board conversation is already on the table at BM2 mid-tour. The BM2 knows his service record gaps, the NWAE history the slate reads, the eEVAL profile the Senior Chief packet requires, and the leadership accomplishment bullets that distinguish a Chief-board-competitive record from a technically-proficient-but-generic one. The BM1 is already drafting the endorsement language. The goat locker has already had the conversation about him without him being in the room.

Preview — The Next Rank

BM1 (E-6) is the LPO billet — Leading Petty Officer of the deck division — and the rank at which the Chief board package is either building toward selection or visibly falling behind. At BM1 you own the division's PMS, the watchbill, the training calendar, the eEVAL input for every BM3 and BM2 below you, and the section leaders across the division. The BM2 who runs a section of 6-8 sailors has a reference point; the BM1 who runs a division of 15-30 has a materially different leadership load that does not have a warm-up phase at the BM1 pin-on ceremony. The eEVAL writing at BM1 scales up further — you are now writing for 4-8 BM2s and BM3s per evaluation cycle and those bullets are the inputs the chief defends at the wardroom ranking board. The BM1 who writes generic input for the division's petty officers is the BM1 whose BM2s lose advancement opportunities and whose own eEVAL the chief scores accordingly. The Chief board conversation that was on the table at BM2 mid-tour is now the active project — the LCPO is editing your record, you are building your package across the BM1 tour, and the Senior Chief who speaks for you at the Chief board is reading your record before you know she is reading it.
FAQ

BM E5 — Frequently Asked Questions

Q01What does a E5 BM (Boatswain's Mate) actually do?
You lead a section of the deck division — 4 to 10 sailors depending on ship class — and run mooring, UNREP, towing, small-boat, and flight deck perimeter evolutions as the senior petty officer on station.
Q02What's the most important thing to know as a E5 BM?
BM2 (E-5) is the working section lead — the rank the BM1 trusts to run the UNREP station while she is at the chief's mess call.
Q03What does a typical day look like for a E5 BM?
Time-blocked day at the E5 BM rank tier: 0500 Wake up. Check overnight watchbill changes, section assignments, and any equipment casualties flagged by the duty section. If there is an UNREP approach today, confirm the approach time and who is on each station before PT, 0545-0700 Division PT. At BM2 section lead you set the pace for your section — you are in the front rank, not in the middle. PT performance is read by the BM1 as a proxy for section standard. The BM2 who falls out of the morning run or dogs the circuit is the BM2 whose section eventually mirrors the standard,…
Q04What mistakes get E5 BM soldiers fired or relieved?
Running the UNREP station without a signed pre-rig brief and a walked safety zone — when a rig fails and the NAVSEA investigation team shows up, the station leader's name is on the brief and the investigation reads the brief against the NWP 4-01.4 standard; Letting BM3s sign off PQS for each other and rubber-stamping the section — one fraudulent qual exposed by the LCPO at a random audit comes back on the BM2 who supervised it and the eEVAL profile reflects it;…
Q05What career decisions matter most at the E5 BM rank tier?
Chief board package construction — start at BM2, not BM1 — The Chief Petty Officer selection board reads the full service record: NWAE history across all exam cycles, eEVAL profile and ranking across the BM2 and BM1 tours, warfare device and PQS record, duty station diversity, awards, education, and leadership accomplishment bullets. The BM2 who starts building the Chief package at BM1 mid-tour is building it too late — the NWAE history, the eEVAL ranking at BM2, and the warfare device profile are already locked by then.…
Q06What's next after E5 for a BM (Boatswain's Mate) in the Navy?
BM1 (E-6) is the LPO billet — Leading Petty Officer of the deck division — and the rank at which the Chief board package is either building toward selection or visibly falling behind.
Q07What manuals and regulations does a E5 BM need to know cold?
NWP 4-01.4 — Underway Replenishment (you run the station; you teach the manual).; NTTP 3-04.2M / Ship's Boat and Small Craft Manual — your coxswains are qualified off this; you own the currency tracking.; NAVEDTRA 14343 + current BM BIB from MyNavyHR — the NWAE bibliography is the test; the BM2 who studies it systematically advances.

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Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated May 2026Editorial standards